Residents » Overview » When You Arrive

The list of things you’ll have to deal with in the first few weeks can be a little daunting, and you may well be in for a lot of form filling, queuing, and coming and going. Try not to let it spoil things though, because you’ll soon be a fully fledged resident enjoying your new life, and boring bureaucracy will be a distant memory. Here are some of the key issues you should be covering:

• Residency/visas – if you’re on an employment or residency visa, you’ll need to apply for a social security card as well as sign up with a health insurance provider (see p.148). If you’re on a visit visa and land a job, be prepared to have to do a trip home to sort out the paperwork from your home country (see p.58 for more information).

• Furnish your new home and get connected – for advice on furnishing and how to get the water, electricity, phone and TV connected, see p.331 and p.140.

• Buy a car – for advice on what’s available and whether it’s even worth driving in the city as well as the registration process and so on, see Transportation on p.168.

• Licences – get your driving licence sorted as well as your parking permit (should you need it). See Licences on p.66.

• Register with your embassy – it is always worthwhile letting your embassy know you’re living in a foreign country. See the table of embassies on p.25.

• Get acquainted – to help you settle in and find like-minded individuals, consider joining a social group. See p.283.